That Old Catholic Magic

What SSPX might be looking for

So, I wrote about watching older films depicting Catholicism. In all but one instance, the films showed the pre Vatican II church. There was a sort of magical feel to it. A church service led in a "dead language" with incense and oil and blessings and holy water and holy oils and various charms and fetishes to protect God's people. That might sound disrespectful but from outside the church that's what Catholicism looks like. Mystical and mysterious, women in veils, young boys lighting candles, dressed like priests, the choir singing psalms and hymns. The art coming to life in the warm golden light.

But, The Novus Ordo Mass was something else. It was in the vernacular language, hymns and psalms were sung in vernacular, the church was a little brighter lit, less formal. Women no longer veiled, the rosaries and scapulars, medals were not as important, even saints like Christopher were demoted as legends and Catholic fan fiction. But it was open. One didn't need a rudimentary, phonetic learning of the Latin Mass, especially if you weren't a cradle Catholic or went to Catholic school where you learned Latin. No more communion rails, we could take communion from our palm, and girls could serve the altar.

Latin Masses were discouraged mainly because the Pope wanted us to get used to the Mass in the vernacular. True, it took a while to regularize the Mass. There were outrageous and just absolutely silly Masses (I'm looking at you Clown Mass). Some were just socially interesting like the folk or hippy Masses. But by 1968, the Mass was made regular and was being printed in new missals along with translated hymns. Even the Bible was given a fresh translation, away from the Elizabethan English of both the Douay Rheims and the King James Editions of the Bible, as well as the thousands of languages the Bible was translated into.

Vestments went from being heavy masterpieces of fabric and hand needlework to thinner, simpler vestments. Incense was reserved for high holy days. Modern architecture took over. Modern religious art took over. Some meditative practices went to the wayside. The magic was lost.

But those old ways are recorded. Recorded and longed for. This movement began as a few churches from time to time singing hybrid versions of the Mass, some things said in Latin, some things said in the vernacular. Then, on high holy days, a parish may offer a special Latin Mass. Even my Catholic church offers a 7:30 am Latin Mass.

I believe this was the beginning of the move to go back to pre Vatican II the journey back to the magic.